Unheated Predator Proof Extreme Cold Coop
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- čas přidán 6. 07. 2024
- Keeping chickens in the north presents some unique challenges. The extreme temperature fluctuations from season to season are one thing to consider in a northern chicken coop. Predators in the area are another challenge that should be taken into consideration with your backyard chicken coop. If you are considering backyard chickens in a northern climate, here are some do's and don'ts from our experience in both Manitoba and northern Ontario, Canada raising both egg layers and chickens for meat production.
We keep backyard chickens on our wilderness homestead year round in northern Ontario. This presents some unique challenges including large apex predators as well as extreme cold conditions. Our coop was built mainly out of reclaimed lumber from an old cabin that once stood on the property.
We have two forms of predator here that are of concern - airborn predators such as owls, hawks and eagles. And land based predators such as wolves, bears and cougars. Both the coop and run are predator proof. We prefer to take a proactive approach to dealing with predators as opposed to a reactive approach. This has worked well for us over the years as we've never had to dispatch a predator here.
Our backyard chicken coop is not heated. The only electricity we run to the coop in the winter is for a small heated waterer, so the birds have access to fresh water 24/7. Our temperatures often dip down to the -20s and -30s for extended periods of time. The birds are allowed to hang outside each day, if they choose to. In the morning, we open the door to the run, in the evening we close it back up. The chicken coop itself is well ventilated, which is key in keeping happy, healthy chickens over the winter months. It's not the cold that kills, it's the moisture.
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Thank you!
Thank YOU! ❤️
You have NO idea how awesome and smart you are to tell us your zone!!! Thank you! Most of these homesteaders don’t. Wasted time watching these people in zones 6 talk about keeping livestock in the “extreme cold.” lol.
Right? It’s so frustrating to watch a 20 min video about chickens or gardening and the persons ends up being in Florida or somethin. Like that isn’t gonna help me when I have enough snow to cave in a roof lol
I live on the border of Idaho and Canada. We have the same predators. We found by making “friends” with the ravens that they get territorial and help keep the eagles and hawks away. Now their cawing is a blessing instead of a curse. We also found talk radio to be helpful. (Even to some degree against the neighbor’s dog!)
coast to coast radio.. haaa.. now my birds are well informed to the alien invasion.. haa ( but it works keeps the coyotes away)
Finally a podcast that matches my spot in northern Wisconsin weather and critters
You two have done an excellent job at giving your chickens a safe and comfortable home. The fact that they have a sheltered area to get out even in winter is so important in my opinion.
Great video! Thanks for sharing your zone! I am also zone 3 and its sooo frusterating hearing people in zone 7 or 8 talk about their " cold weather" and only finding out later that their winter is my spring/fall weather. What they use will not work up here in Northern Canada. Its a different ball game up here and I really appreciate seeing your methods of keeping chickens.
Living in Warren, ON and it's very cold here in the winter. Easy -40 nights. Thank you for this!!!
I live in Simcoe County, Ontario. When we first got chickens, family and friends asked how we would keep them warm in their coop during the winter. I said they will keep each other warm just fine. After all, we have lots of wild turkey in the forest behind our house, and they don’t get huddle up in a coop at night, do they? 😂 If the turkeys are doing fine, then I’m sure my chickens in a coop will do fine too. 👍🏼
You know it!
Thank you, from Northern Montana
Access to fresh water is so important,I like the heated waterer.
This is awesome! I just bought. Homestead property in Manitoba, so this is exactly what I needed.
Absolutely loved this video. So refreshing to see a coop actually designed for cold climate and Canadian wilderness. Thank you!
-40 and quite wet here in Northern Quebec-Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean area. If we have chickens again, I would love them to be happy- as happy as yours seem to be! 💕 😊 Thank you for sharing these clear hopeful tips.
We just discovered your channel recently and really hope you keep posting. It is packed with great info, great formats and relevant to Canadian climate. Thanks!
Welcome to the Wilderstead! We’ll be back to regular videos soon. In the mean time you can follow us in FB and IG for more fun!
Great video. Thanks guys....
Love that u don’t use artificial lighting. ❤️❤️❤️. Gals need a break!
A few years ago, I ran into a large black bear , who was attracted to a neighbors chicken feed, I banged the garbage can lid to scare him away. I would love too keep chickens someday when I can move upstate full time. I learned a lot watching this video, thanks for sharing
Glad to hear it was helpful! Thanks for tuning in!
Thanks. From Racine, Wisconsin....
Yes! great video, we raise Chantecler Heritage breeds, good ventilation and deep bedding, no heat lamps, lights or insulation, low maintenance is the best maintenance!!
Keep it simple, right! The birds don't need much, that's for sure. Thanks for tuning in Foxfire, Cheers!
It is so wonderful to have useful Canadian content; with this being said, I fully believe in free democracy, not government legislation for Canadian content control!
Now, onto my comment…
I am in Calgary Alberta attempting to be as self-sufficient as possible in a rental home. I have a large backyard garden, and a large but thin (5.5 x 15ft) area I’m hoping to develop into a chicken run for four layers. My biggest concern is that the videos I see on here are for Americans, and we can easily go for a couple months at -30 to -40 Celsius! I want a small coop that is big enough for them to hibernate in if necessary, and still be warm and dry. We’ve only just received municipal approval in January of this year, 2022, so I have to absolutely follow the legislative specifications, but it would be great to see some Canadian backyard chicken coop plans (instead of tempered climate American ones) now that we’re finally coming in line with the rest of the world. I’m working on my own (totally inexperienced version) for my Canadian backyard chickens; but, it would be great to have Canadian mentors who could show us the way… step by step. For newbie’s like me.
In today’s Canada, urban Canadians providing for their families may depend on it.
Welcome! You can check out some of our older chicken videos from when we were living in Manitoba. With only 4 chickens, you’re going to need a very small coop so they’re able to keep it warm enough for themselves 😉
Love the talk radio tip. Lol
Thank you for answering some questions I had about raising chickens in the winter.
Awesome! I live in the same region and this was extremely helpful!
Very nice informative video thank you.
Love this channel thank you so much for sharing your experience raisingchickens in the North. A big wave from Brandon, Manitoba
Thank you so so much !
oh my gosh! great tips! I live in Minnesota and I wasn't sure about some type of heat source here in the winters. I will incorporate your tips with my coop. thanks again!
Before the weather got all f up and got warmer in the winter in the former Yugoslavia, we would make coops half in the ground for the winter cold and on top will have chicken runs for the summer time. The ground will keep them worm in the winter and cool during the summer heat.
Awesome and thank you!
This is awesome
Thanks
Love the talk radio idea for my chickens! Glad I stayed till the end!
Hello guys from Michigan
You definitely have your challenges with the cold climate and forest creatures. Nice job with the coop. I like the talk radio solution. The soffits are a good idea also. We don't put lights on our girls either. It's nice to give them a break and we don't mind the break either. Although, we did keep one meat bird and she has continued to lay eggs as well as one of our other girls. Cheers!
Thanks 👍! Our meat birds that we kept have started laying for us. Hard to say if they'll go broody or not so we'll be investing in an incubator very soon. Cheers buddy!
Talk radio, who knew?? kinda clever tho :)
We considered leaving an iPad out playing Wilderstead videos on repeat if the talk radio didn’t work 😂
Awesome tips and your coop is outstanding! Such a solid, cozy place for your chicks :)
Thanks so much Cathy! Happy birds!
The talk radio idea is great, I’ll definitely try that, thank you! Love the coop setup, I’m building something similar as we speak. Cheers!
Lovely video. I really needed this information. You answered ALL the questions I had.
Thankyou
Glad it was helpful!
We have a comparable Winter where we live in MN with a good number of predators, too. You win with those bears though! The talk radio is a hoot! Smart. Thank you for sharing your (in our zone reality) Winter coop experiences. I learned some things I will do when building ours soon.
As a zone 4 / edge of zone 3 Vermonter, this is perfect! Thanks neighbors!
Great video! I am in northeastern Ontario (little over an hour from the Quebec border) and i have had so many people say i can't keep chickens alive up here without heating their coop. Wrong! Proving it right now 😊 this morning was -18c and they all came running out for breakfast when I opened em up at 7:30! Once all the "teenager" roo's had been booted outside they all followed Ragnar back inside of course 😂
Love your videos! Thanks for all the tips and encouragement 😊
People really tend to overcomplicate keeping chickens for some reason. Glad to hear you have some happy northern chickens, Kristal! Thanks for following along with us!
Wonderful to hear you can keep chickens in the North! I am interested in living in Northeast ON eventually.
Do you keep your chicken coop heated and/or lighted in the winter? Just wondering if you have them free range in the winter or simply in a roofed structure like in this video.
Talk Radio ! love it.
Great tips thanks!!!
Thank you very much. you all answered ALL my questions. really appreciate your video
Great!
Thanks for the good advice from zone 3 Wisconsin.
I live in the center of the lower peninsula of Michigan and will be facing all the same exact animals you name except wolves, we pick up our laying hens Aug 18th, so this video was very helpful. Thanks much! I have vacationed near your location in years past, beautiful country.
Great ad
Thank you for sharing this information with me. I'm subscribed now. 😊
Merci from Montreal.
Excellent video. Greeting from southern Ontario. Love Lake Superior and visit every year.
WoW thank you for your video ❤ that help me for my chickens 😊
My homestead is also in the wilderness thanks for the talk radio idea!
It works very well!
Super happy we met on the livestream tonight, really enjoyed this video. Fitting too cause one of my big projects on my farm this year is to build a new chicken coop. Right now they’re in my small barn, but need a more permanent living space. I can’t wait till spring 🔨 🪵 Love the rustic wood look of your coop, did you guys build it yourselves? I have a design in my head for my coop I just need to get it built. I’ll get caught up on some more vids soon. 😃
Thanks Hidden Spring Farm! Yes, we built the coop a couple of years ago. Mainly using reclaimed lumber from an old cabin that once stood on the property here. We have another video that goes into a little more detail on the build. You can check that out here if you like: czcams.com/video/HMONoWSHf0A/video.html
It's always nice to find other Canadian channels. And in Ontario is even better. Looking forward to catching up with your videos as well. Cheers, and welcome to the Wilderstead!
as an iron ranger im a tad jealous that you guys get a nice "warm" southern wind coming over lake superior in the winter lol
Very informative and super charming video! Many thanks from Maine!
Glad you enjoyed it!
So happy to have come across your videos! We are in Algoma as well, but on the shores of Huron, not superior :) We are working towards a more self sufficient/ sustainable lifestyle, and have wanted Chickens for a long time now, but we were worried about how they would fare during the cold winter months as well as keeping away predators. Thank you so much for sharing, this helps a lot :)
Welcome to the Wilderstead, Chris!
One thing to remember is you will always need more than u think to take care of chickens, i got 2 small coops, now im building my own n getting rid of those
Yes, chicken math is a real thing 😂
The exterior of your outbuildings look fantastic. Great job!
Thanks Tim! Cheers!
Well that was an easy 'subscribe, like and comment!' What a great video. You two make a great team - clear to see. It's also very helpful to list your zone, as noted above, so few do. I'm new to homesteading, in the alpine above Kelowna, close to ski country so no stranger to extended bouts of -25 to -30 (but not like MN!). Some great tips in here - and I LOVE the look of your coop! The functionality is obvious. I'll check out your other videos but I can already see I'll learn a lot more! Nice work folks. Stay well - 'eh'?
Welcome aboard!
I learned a lot from this. Very useful.
Great to hear!
Thank you. Very detailed, helpful, informative, useful, enjoyed your video. Thank you for your time and effort to educate others. Very ingenious chicken coop. I have 3 chickens and live in southwestern Idaho. So currently experiencing temps in the teens and twenties. Brought the chickens into my RV shop.
Their in a large wardrobe box laying horizontally on the ground. I have several inches of wood chips, a perching rod, food and water. The shop is in the low 40’s inside while outside it’s now, 1 Jan 2022, 12 degrees. I let them out back in their coop run during the day when it’s sunny. They have fresh water, food and thick layer of wood chips. Any suggestions, ideas, or things I should not do, or do differently! Again thank you. I have shared your video with many others.
P.S. I severed with the Canadian Army and Air Force personnel in Afghanistan. We even ran the US Marine Corps Marathon while in Afghanistan.
A Great groups of carrying professional medical men and women doctors, nurses, Med techs.
Thank you “O Canada” 🇨🇦👍🏻😉😎.
👍🏻✝️🇨🇦👍🏻✝️🇺🇸⛄️❄️🏒⛸⛷🎿🥌⚽️☃️❄️🌧🐓😎👍🏻🇨🇦😎👍🏻🙏🏻✝️🇺🇸🇨🇦
Also a new chicken owner and this was great info as I prepare for our first winter with the hens.
Glad it was helpful!
Finally a homestead channel that is the same as ours, your videos are really well done and I love the content. We have to use an electric fence around the perimeter and at night we also play CBC at night, as a bonus we made bear boards for added protection.
Welcome to the Wilderstead, Laurie!
Where exactly do you put bear boards? And any other details. 👍thank you for your time.
@@krystalborgman we place them on the ground by any entrances or windows ,been very effective for us.
Thanks for sharing this info and all of your experiences. It is said that we learn from experience, I am planning to start keeping chickens this year and I am just intimidated by how I will keep them warm in the winter and safe all the time. This was definitely helpful to me. New subscriber :)
You can do it!
I’m new at keeping chickens too and from what I’ve read, chickens are more comfortable in the cold than in the heat. Although we don’t live in extreme temperatures like here, we do get nights in the single digits and I used to worry about my girls but they do just fine in the cold. We even keep two windows cracked for ventilation. We use the deep litter method and they are thriving!
Great video. Would love to be in a location like that. Chicks look super happy.well done.😎👍
Great tips! Just subscribed, you had me at talk radio lol.
Welcome to the Wilderstead!
Love this video - just subscribed. We live in Nova Scotia and it will be our first winter with chickens - we have 10 at the moment although that could be more by winter. Lol! Haven't had too much trouble with predators yet - there are eagles, hawks and owls in the area and generally over the property but so far so good. I have noticed that the eagles will follow my dog when she's outside and circle - pretty sure they think she is a wolf or coyote and are hoping to benefit from a kill she may make. (she probably looks like one from above) They haven't bothered our hens though - but the dog does like to guard the coop too. Lol!
Great info--thanks! I live up against the Manistee National Forest in the Newaygo, MI area, and my conditions are a bit less extreme--I have occasional coyotes, foxes, bears and predator birds, and it's not quite as cold--but I still have all of these same things to consider. I'm hoping to start keeping chickens next year and trying to learn from others' experience. Much appreciated!
Great! Glad it was useful for ya. Cheers!
thank you， you are so amazing, I find very thing I need in this great video
Happy to hear that!
Hej from the north of Sweden. We keep eight hens in an unheated building attached to the house. One tupp (rooster) and seven hens. I deep litter them, a mix of hay, sand and leaf litter which is easy to gather as we're surrounded by forest. They're Brahma hens so well feathered, the cold doesn't bother them but they hate the wind like most hens. For ventilation we leave the door ajar, but I don't let them outdoors over winter. Having watched your video I might try to this winter. :) We have similar predators too...birds of prey, plus wolverines, bears (not a problem in winter) as well as pine marten, wolves and foxes.
Ours just go outside in the winter if they feel like it. There's a small door they can use that leads out into their covered run.
love the video i live in the same climate so this was a great help learned alot oh and my chicken said to say thanks too
Algoma region zone #3 Thank you .... i wish others would give basic info ... so you know what has worked in the area off-grid ... so you can plan on your minium requirements when you start
That explains a lot - I am in central Michigan - i just found your channel.
Welcome to the Wilderstead, Connie!
great video!
we do very similar except under the roost i made . we have a tarp attached and it collects poop over the night so every morning i go in with a dust pan and a mini grass rake pick up the poops on the floor and scoop out the tarp into a bucket for garden compost .our coop stays so clean and we use 8o% less straw .warmer here in kootenays [ bears ] so i had to run electric fence zig zag up an down the outside walls . In front of entrance door peppered a ply wood 4x4 sheet with 1 1/2 roof nails and on hinges so it can fold up every morning to keep bear from standing and being able to push on door . Its october and bears still full blast active trying to get easy meals . The new citiot neighbors have trained the bears to to get thier stored garbage and outside deep freeze food . So now a bear problem here after not having bears for like 15 yrs . i attached cow bells to our freezer so dogs can be alerted waking us If a bear was to return to our property .
There was a time we had a 'poop shelf' type thing in the coop. Made more sense for us to do the deep litter method though
Great information! I’m in Northern Michigan just below the Bridge so I have the cold and the same predators to deal with. I’m trying to plan my coop now and decide which birds to get as well as keeping them safe and warm! New subscriber, I believe you can teach me much, thank you!
Welcome to the Wilderstead!
Thanks for the info . We are in SW Oklahoma , almost in Texas . We have lots of predators , especially with the drought they are coming in search of food and water . I can't say I blame the bear though , I don't like "Yack radio" either. LOL . I love the coop also .
I live in NS Canada and am a first time chicken owner. My mom came up with a real quick solution to keep the raccoons from opening the barrel locks. She bought these swivel snap clips and we clip it into the end of the barrel lock so you can't open it.
Awesome video 📹 👏 👌
We are in Woodlawn Ontario 👍
I got stuck in a lake effect snow storm a few years back coming down from Wawa and luckily made it into Eliot Lake JUST at dark, what a day! Crazy winter storm and one i will never forget.
Yeah, it does get crazy here very often. Between December and March you can expect the road to be closed at least once a week. You get used to it.
First winter chicken keeper over here in 1A (about 80 KM from the NWT!) I have the ability to supplement heat for the -55C days but hoping ill be able to keep them in the insulated coop without supplemental heat the majority of the winter
Thanks y’all! I truly enjoyed this video! Turn that dial to “truth frequency radio” I bet no animal will be there only the humans eh?
Cheers!
Have you noticed talk radio working to deter other predators?
Yes, much better than music for any animals. People talking tends to keep them away.
I always play some podcasts for my local raccoons.
Do they have a preference?
Good practical things you are doing.
If we are ever allowed to be social again, you are getting some eggs Jim! Cheers buddy!
@@Wilderstead Yummy...syrup too?
Oh yeah, you bet!
Your video is WELL DONE! Thank you! Questions: 1) From what I can tell, other than the deep litter on the floor, it is not insulated (and has constant heat loss through the vented soffits), correct? If so, why would you not insulate? Is it better without? 2) What breed(s) of chickens do you recommend for the cold climate? (Goes to -40 here.) Is there any concern with the large comb and wattle breeds like Orpingtons? 3) Why did you build it off the ground? Would it not be just as good set on the ground?
Great video! We had chickens when I was a kid and I plan to get more this spring when I was a kid we ran an extension cord to the coop this time it will be a much farther distance so I've been trying to figure out if it's really necessary to keep their water your input is very helpful thank you.
Glad it was useful for you!
Wow, first to the party! Greetings D & A!
Morning! Hahahaha! Hey buddy!
I live in the east end of Ontario, Vankleek Hill.
We are from Hawkesbury! 😊
New friend here!! And a lover of chickens! I'm in Ottawa Ontario, but also garden at my cottage 2.5 hours north near Maniwaki Que which is zone 4
Welcome to the Wilderstead!
I can hear goat sound background..😂😂😂!!! That's really cool..😁😁😂😜
Hahaha they are definitely very talkative creatures! 😂 🐐
Talk radio keeps a plethora of things away, including teenagers... ;)
Hahaha! True!
Bears are smart. They hate talk radio. 😉
Thank you. Very detailed, helpful, informative, useful, enjoyed your video. Thank you for your time and effort to educate others. Very ingenious chicken coop. I have 3 chickens and live in southwestern Idaho. So currently experiencing temps in the teens and twenties. Brought the chickens into my RV shop.
Their in a large wardrobe box laying horizontally on the ground. I have several inches of wood chips, a perching rod, food and water. The shop is in the low 40’s inside while outside it’s now, 1 Jan 2022, 12 degrees. I let them out back in their coop run during the day when it’s sunny. They have fresh water, food and thick layer of wood chips. Any suggestions, ideas, or things I should not do, or do differently! Again thank you. I have shared your video with many others.
P.S. I severed with the Canadian Army and Air Force personnel in Afghanistan. We even ran the US Marine Corps Marathon while in Afghanistan.
A Great groups of carrying professional medical men and women doctors, nurses, Med techs.
Thank you “O Canada” 🇨🇦👍🏻😉😎.
👍🏻✝️🇨🇦👍🏻✝️🇺🇸⛄️❄️🏒⛸⛷🎿🥌⚽️☃️❄️🌧🐓😎👍🏻🇨🇦😎👍🏻🙏🏻✝️🇺🇸🇨🇦
Thanks!
I really enjoyed your video. My husband and l are thinking about getting egg laying chicken. We live on Manitoulin Island and so we have many predictors and the winter are brutal. So you answered a lot of my question. Thank you. The radio was a good idea. I look forward to your videos.
That is awesome!
We use solar electric fence around all our coops and runs. This helps keep out the predators.
Definitely a good addition to a predator control plan.
Great flock, you should consider Chantecler chickens, a Canadian breed bred to resist the Canadian winter!
We have had bear issues with our chicken feed before. We had 3 different bears coming around almost every night, I would chase them off each time. I have not seen one all summer, or this fall so far. I figured if they would not stop, I would hunt them myself, I always wanted a bear rug like the one my grandparents had lol. No issues so far with them trying to get to our chickens, we also have cougars, coyotes, and bob cats, but none of them have been much of an issue, I made the property a hot zone for them to enter, protected by mr 06. mr 12 and family. The deer some times will stay for weeks not leaving and I am fine with that, I have no intentions eating them.
Great days on the Wilderstead !
Cheers Bubba!
Guys, I don't know how much the rules have changed since I left Oxford county 50 years ago, but bear is a great tasting source of protein !
This is definitely a coop for winter as we get it in Estonia. :) I am planning a coop right now. I cannot find plans for a coop like yours. All available plans I have found look complicated and they look like they are for summer.
How are the walls built to winterize them.. from what materials?
I see generous ventilation in your coop. I was just thinking two holes at the top near the roof as ventilation - on one side of the coop and on the other side.
Welcome to climate change! Just getting the cold here in manitoba. Turned the heater on in the garage for the first time on Sunday. Love your chicken set up. Always confused about these tiny coops and open runs down south. We use the double latches on our coop.
Right on!